All 92 people aboard the Tu-154 that crashed in the Black Sea are feared dead, while massive search efforts are underway at the site of the tragedy, with 3,500 people participating in the operation. Technical failure and pilot error are among the causes suggested by the authorities.
29 December 2016
The third black box from the crashed Tu-154 appears to have been destroyed, a source in law enforcement agencies told TASS. The flight recorder was reportedly located in the plane's tail.
The tape in the black box has been damaged but it can still be partially deciphered, the source added.
The condition of two remaining black boxes is satisfactory and the data they contain is currently being deciphered in Moscow, the source added.
The remains of 19 people killed in the Tu-154 crash have been retrieved from the Black Sea as of Thursday morning, RIA Novosti reports, citing a security source. The agency added that 17 of the bodies have been taken for identification to Moscow via a special flight.
Most parts of the plane necessary for the investigation have been recovered, the source said.
“The main fragments of the plane are on a special platform, where specialists will ‘lay out’ the crashed aircraft,” RIA cited the source as saying.
The main phase of the search and rescue operation is now reportedly over.
28 December 2016
Divers have lifted two more bodies from the crashed plane, TASS reported, citing a source from the search and rescue operation.
“All in all, 15 bodies have been found so far, 13 of which have been delivered to Moscow,” the source added.
More than 1,500 plane fragments from the Tu-154 passenger jet have been found at the crash site in the Black Sea, a source in Russia’s security services told TASS on Wednesday. “1,547 fragments have been found during the search operation, around one third of which were retrieved,” the source added. Rescuers have also discovered 13 bodies and 223 body parts so far, a search and rescue operation source told TASS.
27 December 2016
The humanitarian aid that Doctor Elizaveta Glinka was due to deliver to Aleppo has arrived at Khmeimim airbase, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said, adding that it will be sent to the city in a few days.
“That work, which she [Glinka] did with us in Syria by helping civilians, children, hospitals, should continue,” the minister said.
The aid had been on board another plane that took off for Syria on the day the Tu-154 crashed, which successfully reached its destination.
An operation to retrieve bodies and plane fragments is currently underway in the Black Sea, a Ruptly video shows.
Divers have found one of the black boxes of the crashed Tu-154, a source told TASS. At least three more victims’ bodies have also been recovered in the ongoing search operation.
Italian singer and songwriter Salvatore “Toto” Cutugno, who personally got to know the director of the Alexandrov Ensemble, Valery Khalilov, and on a number of occasions shared the stage with the Russian choir, told RT that the crash had made a deep impact on him.
“As to me, I was rather involved in this crash because inside this airplane were people I had known personally,” Cutugno said.
He recalled how members of the choir had struck him as both highly disciplined and professional, and very curious and easygoing at the same time.
“In Sanremo, when the cameras we off, I was singing, “Na-na-na,” and they were responding to me, “Na-na-na-na,” with their very strong voices. We had a lot of fun and we liked to do this vocal exchange very much."
Cutugno spoke highly of Khalilov, saying that they “had a relationship that was based on big and mutual respect.”
26 December 2016
The captain of the crashed aircraft apparently attempted a sea landing, a security source told TASS, citing the damage to the tail fin. “According to preliminary data, the damage [to the plane’s tail] indicates that the commander wanted to land the plane on water," the source said.
Two manned underwater vehicles belonging to the Russian Geographic Society as well as several more unmanned flying vehicles have joined the search operation, the Russian military said.
The body of another crash victim has been lifted to the surface, Konashenkov said, without revealing any details about the person’s identity. The Defense Ministry spokesman added that the identities of the deceased won’t be made public unless their relatives give permission.
A total of 45 ships, 15 underwater vehicles, 12 planes, five helicopters and 192 divers are currently involved in the search operation, said the spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Maj. General Igor Konashenkov.
A special floatable sea crane able to lift heavy parts of the plane’s wreckage has joined the rescue services in the Black Sea, the Russian military announced.
Divers have located more pieces of the plane’s wreckage, including the tail fin with pieces of the engine, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Emergency services have pinpointed three parts of the fuselage of the ill-fated plane and have lifted two of them to the surface, according to RIA Novosti, citing a source. "As of 19:00 Moscow time [16:00 GMT] three parts of the plane’s fuselage were discovered 1.8km away from the coast. Two parts have been lifted to the surface,” the source said.
Rescue workers have recovered the body of the plane’s captain, TASS reports, citing a security source. "A body was discovered while lifting large parts of the fuselage. According to the ribbons on the uniform, it was concluded that this was the plane’s captain, Roman Volkov,” the source said.
A radar picture of the crash site has been released by the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The inspection of the surface area has ended, and in seven sectors out of 15 the seabed was searched, the ministry’s statement read. The wreckage scattering radius is about 500 meters, it added.
Divers have recovered two elements of plane control mechanism, and their serial numbers showed they were from the crashed Tu-154, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The head of the extra-risk operations’ center, Lieutenant-Colonel Pyotr Gritsenko, explained to Ruptly how his team works at the crash area.
“Our group is now carrying our search efforts using a side-scanning sonar that allows to see the seabed contour, as well as objects in the water. Also on our boat are rescue workers who are monitoring the sea surface in search of debris and personal belongings [of passengers].”
Contrary to earlier reports, divers have found large fragments of the plane but not the fuselage, the Russian Emergencies Ministry has stated.
Part of the fragments have already been lifted up to the surface, and divers are heading to the seabed again now, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said.
The fuselage of the Tu-154 plane that crashed on Sunday has reportedly been discovered at a depth of 27 meters (89 feet), just over 1.5 kilometers (about one mile) from the shore, Russian news agencies report, citing a local search and rescue team representative.
Witnesses of the Tu-154 crash have been found and video footage of the incident has emerged, the FSB said. The investigative team is now working with the new data, the statement added.
There was no military or double-purpose cargo on the Tu-154, nor were there any pyrotechnical devices, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has said.
"According to the Russian Defense Ministry's data, 84 passengers and eight crew members were on board, with the majority of them part of the military. Also, there was the passengers' luggage and 150kg of cargo consisting of food and medical supplies," the statement read.
Speculation that the Tu-154 crash could have been a terrorist act is not a priority for investigators, the Russian president's press secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
“The theory of the terrorist act isn't on top at all,” Peskov noted, adding that “all theories are being reviewed, so it's too early to confirm anything.”
Sochi residents took to the sea in search of Tu-154 survivors following the crash, the governor of Krasnodar Region, Veniamin Kondratyev, told Rossiya-24 TV channel.
“As soon as the news about the crash emerged, locals started to put out to sea in boats in an attempt to save the passengers. It’s typical of Russians, to try to save their compatriots,” he said.
The search operation has been stepped up, with more ships, divers, and aircraft arriving on the scene. Forty-five vessels and five helicopters, as well as drones, are now involved in the search operation, according to the latest information from the Russian Defense Ministry.
The bodies of most passengers could still be inside the plane underwater, which is why they still haven't been recovered, the governor of the Krasnodar Region, Veniamin Kondratyev, told Rossiya-24 TV channel.
“People are asking why things and bodies haven't emerged on the surface... Maybe the plane didn't undergo such severe damage, and a lot of bodies are in the plane. And those we recovered were sitting near the breakup of the aircraft,” the official said, as cited by RIA Novosti.
Russia is observing a nationwide day of mourning for the victims of the Tu-154 crash today.
Part of debris and remains may have been carried outside of Russia by the current, and now be in the Republic of Abkhazia.
“I would ask everyone involved in the search and rescue operation to expand the search zone. I’ve contacted the president of Abkhazia, the country’s premier, because the current goes across the border. We suppose that part of the debris and remains could have crossed that border,” Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov said, as cited by Interfax.
The search zone around the crash site has been expanded, Russia’s Emergency Ministry said, according to RIA Novosti news agency.
The Russian Defense Ministry hopes to locate the plane in the Black Sea on Monday, Air Force commander Bondarev said at a press conference.
The first plane transporting the victims’ remains has arrived safely in Moscow at Chkalovsky airport just outside the Russian capital, Russia’s Ministry of Defense has said.
A plane carrying 10 bodies from the Tu-154 crash has left for Moscow, Russia’s Defense Ministry has said, as cited by TASS.
“An IL-76 plane carrying 10 recovered bodies and 86 body fragments has flown to Moscow, where the identification and DNA testing will be conducted” by Ministry of Defense specialists, the statement from the Defense Ministry’s press service read.
Some 3,500 people working in three shifts are involved in the rescue operations in the area of the Tu-154 plane crash in Sochi.
“Search operations in the area of the Tu-154 crash did not stop for a minute during the night,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that seven additional ships have joined the ongoing rescue operations, including a hydrographic ship equipped with advanced sonar equipment capable of detecting plane fragments, as well as diving and patrol boats manned by diving experts and equipped with high-power searchlights.
Uzbekistan’s president, Savkat Mirziev, sent his condolences to Putin, according to Interfax.
“I’ve heard the news on multiple casualties in the Tu-154 crash with the deepest of dolor. Accept my deepest condolences, and pass words of sympathy to relatives and friends of the victims,” President Mirziev said in the statement.
China’s leader Xi Jinping has sent an official telegram to Russian President Vladimir Putin to express his condolences about the Tu-154 crash, CCTV reported.
“I, on behalf of China’s government and people, express my deepest sympathy in the wake of this tragic event. I express the deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” Xi Jinping wrote.
Memorial services for the victims of the crash took place in all churches across the Sakhalin region on Monday afternoon, RIA Novosti reported.
“A tragedy happened, people died. Praying for the victims, who, as the Scripture reads “lay down one’s life for one’s friends” is the Church’s duty. The Lord claimed them, while they were on the way to support peacemakers. Peacemaking constitutes both dangers, deaths, but also God’s mercy for such people, who support those, who suffer,” Tikhon, Archbishop of Southern Sakhalin and Kuril Islands said.
Search and rescue operations in the plane crash zone are continuing overnight, according to the Russian Emergencies Ministry’s press service. More than 3,000 personnel and 200 pieces of equipment are involved in the operation. Powerful ship-mounted spotlights and light towers are illuminating the water surface for some 80 meters around.
Approximately 30 ships are participating in the operation and more than 100 square kilometers of the sea area has already been searched. A group of seven planes, 12 helicopters and 20 UAVs has inspected an area of 240 square kilometers. Ground search groups have observed some 10km of the shoreline.
Divers have been working in the area from which plane debris was uncovered. Deep diving equipment and robotic complexes are also being used in the operation, the ministry’s statement added.
Serbia’s government is considering naming a park in Belgrade in honor of the Tu-154 crash victims, according to Serbian Minister of Culture and Information Vladan Vukosavljevic.
“Vukosavljevic expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased ensemble artists and admirers of their talent and proposed naming the venue in question ‘Aveksandrov Choir Park.’ The idea was supported by Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic,” a government statement reads.
The head of the Alexandrov Ensemble, Lieutenant General Valeriy Khalilov, will be put forward for a posthumous decoration “For Merit to the Chechen Republic,” according to Kadyrov.
“The tragic deaths of the Alexandrov Ensemble artists are a bitter loss for Russia. The head of the ensemble, Lieutenant General Valeriy Khalilov, died along with the artists. The ensemble has worldwide fame. It has performed in many countries for decades,” Kadyrov wrote on Instagram.
A children's clinic in Grozny has been named after humanitarian activist Elizaveta Glinka, the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, wrote on Instagram.
“Dr. Liza devoted herself to the most noble cause – saving children. She had a brilliant medical training and could have worked in some clinic, but she chose the hard path of helping those, who could not get help from elsewhere,” Kadyrov wrote.
25 December 2016
The wife of 30-year-old ensemble artist Dmitry Litvyakov shared the last messages she received from her husband ahead of the fateful flight.
“Go to bed my sweetheart )) I don't know how long the flight will be,” the man wrote to his wife Valentina and their little son Matvey, Lifenews reported.
A Russian Defense Ministry medical facility is to be named after the renowned humanitarian activist Elizaveta Glinka, widely known as Dr. Liza, who was killed in the air disaster, Deputy Minister of Defense Ruslan Tsalikov told journalists.
“The humanitarian cargo of the 'Fair Help' fund was sent by another aircraft. It is already in the airport of Khmeimim, and of course we will finish Elizaveta Glinka’s job,” Tsalikov added.
In total, 68 members of the Aleksandrov Ensemble died in the TU-154 plane crash, according to the latest information from Russia's defense ministry.
“68 artists and members of the ensemble died. Today we can already state it,” the deputy defense minister, Nikolay Pankov, announced.
Rescue ships have scoured some 100 square kilometers and planes more than 240 square kilometers of the Black Sea, trying to pinpoint the exact location of the crash site, officials announced.
Ten bodies of plane crash victims have been transferred to a morgue in Sochi, TASS reported, citing a local source. Three women are among them, the source said.
Words of support for the families of the deceased were also provided by the Iranian ambassador to Russia, Mehdi Sanai.
“I offer my condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased in today’s air crash. The Iranian nation is mourning together with you. Eternal memory,” Sanai wrote on Twitter.
Italian singer Toto Cutugno, who was invited to the same concert as the deceased ensemble members, said he was “shocked” by the news. Cutugno noted that he received an invitation for the event, but declined the offer due to prior arrangements. The singer performed several parts with the ensemble, including in 2013.
Iconic French star singer Mireille Mathieu who worked with the Aleksandrov Ensemble offered her condolences to Russia. “I am deeply saddened. My soul, my thoughts are now with the families [of the deceased] and Russia. For more than half a century these brilliant voices have been Russia’s pearl.”
Rescue services are scanning the presumable crash site of the Tu-154 in the Black Sea, Interfax reported, citing the Russian defense ministry. “Vessels equipped with side-scan sonars are checking the topography of the seabed in the area,” the ministry is quoted as saying.
Officials are not considering a terrorist act to have been the prime cause of the incident, a security source told Interfax. It added that the crashed plane was initially supposed to refuel in the city of Mozdok, North Ossetia, but due to bad weather redirected to the airport at the Black Sea coast resort of Adler. After landing the aircraft was guarded until it departed for Syria.
The ill-fated plane bound for Syria “was technically sound,” Russian defense ministry flight security service head, Sergey Baynetov, said. He added that the first pilot of the plane, Roman Volkov, had completed numerous flights taking the same route.
The weather will be conducive to the search and rescue operation at the crash site area, the head of the hydro-meteorological centre in Krasnodar region told TASS.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his grief over the tragedy during a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Rescue workers discovered the body of the 11th victim of the plane crash, the Russian defense ministry told Interfax.
The Russian emergencies ministry released a fresh video of the search and rescue operation in the Black Sea. The footage shows vessels, boats and helicopters scouring the suspected crash site area for the Tu-154's debris.
The investigators are looking into all possible causes of the crash, but it is still “too early” to pinpoint, Russian Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov, said. "The Investigative Committee is looking at various theories. Naturally, it is considering the entire spectrum and any possible reasons that might have led to the crash," he said.
Polish President Andrzej Duda expressed his condolences to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Duda called the presumed death of the members of the Alexandrov Ensemble “an irreplaceable loss for Russian culture,” TASS reports.
The Russian Defense Ministry's technical committee will look into the qualifications of the ill-fated plane's pilots. “As part of a technical investigation of the Defense Ministry, all these questions will be examined,” Russian Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov told journalists. He added that according to his information, the captain of the plane “had enough flight hours” under his belt.
The search and rescue operation will continue throughout the night and could be lengthy, Sokolov said. He added that rescuers will have to look for the black boxes of the crashed Tu-154 at the sea bottom, since they are not equipped with special responders to help track them.
Head of the Russian Transport Ministry Maksim Sokolov said that so far the rescue workers have found no survivors from the Tu-154 crash. “Unfortunately, no survivors could be found as of yet,” Sokolov told journalists after a meeting of the state commission on the investigation of the accident.
World-famous Russian model Natalya Vodyanova commented on the presumed death of renowned humanitarian and charity activist Elizaveta Glinka (Dr. Liza).
“To me, Dr. Lisa was a Russian Mother Teresa. An irreparable loss,” Vodyanova wrote on her Facebook page.
RT's latest report on plane crash
Russian rescue workers will use special boats for work at depths of around 400 meters at the suspected crash site, officials announced.
32 vessels, 80 divers, and five helicopters are involved in the search operation, the Russian Ministry of Defense said.
David Johnston from Celtic Massed Pipes personally knew the artistic director of the Alexandrov Ensemble, and shared with RT his memories of their first encounter, and his grief.
“I remember my first meeting with General Khalilov in 2010 on the Red Square. He asked me to do something on the bagpipe which wasn't possible. We were standing in the middle of the Red Square, and he was telling me, 'You can!' And I was telling him, 'I can't make it possible.' And we had this bit of a fend-off. Ever since then, we were the best of friends, and have a lot respect for each other,” Johnston said.
“It's a terrible loss. He was a fantastic, powerful figure, and everybody respected him,” he added.
The identification of the victims' bodies will be conducted in Moscow, the Russian Ministry of Transport said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova extended her condolences to the victims and their families. She especially mentioned humanitarian activist Elizaveta Glinka, saying she was the “embodiment of dignity in our country.”
Glinka was a “social and political activist, but she was outside any politics, above any politics,” Zakharova added.
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has expressed his condolences, saying that “the tragic news of the Russian Defense Ministry's plane crash has echoed with pain in my heart,” adding that he is praying for the victims and their loved ones.
Russian social media site VKontakte has blocked the comments sections on crash victims' pages, Kommersant FM radio reports.
Relatives of the crash victims have started to arrive in Sochi, as well as psychologists who are assisting them, a local official told Interfax.
The navigator pilot of the crashed Tu-154 plane was part of a crew that managed to safely land an out-of-control aircraft back in 2011.
Syrian President Bashar Assad has sent his condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“To our great regret, we received the news about the crash of Russia's Tu-154. Our friends were on board, friends who were planning to share with us and the people of Aleppo the joy of the victory and holidays,” Assad said in a telegram to Putin, as cited by TASS.
People are laying flowers and candles near the Russian Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine to honor those who died in the Tu-154 crash in the Black Sea, the embassy's press attache Oleg Grishin told TASS.
Ten bodies have been recovered so far, according to the latest official information provided by the Russian Defense Ministry.
RT’s latest report on Russian plane crash
The search and rescue operation includes 27 vessels, and over 3,000 people are involved, the Russian Defense Ministry stated, as cited by TASS.
The search and rescue surface area has been determined, and constitutes 10.5 square kilometers, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also “expressed condolences to the Russian President Vladimir Putin,” and said that “her thoughts are with the close ones of numerous victims,” as cited by the deputy government's spokesperson, Ulrike Demmer, RIA Novosti reported.
The head of the German Foreign Ministry, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has expressed his condolences, and hopes that rescue teams will still be able to find survivors.
“The news about the crash of the Russian military plane with the great military choir on board over the Black Sea provokes deep sorrow in me. I hope that maybe they will be able to find and rescue survivors. Our condolences are for families and close ones of the victims of this terrible catastrophe,” his statement said.
Interfax news agency has put the number of bodies found at 12, citing emergency sources.
Bodies of 10 crash victims have been found, a source in local security services told TASS.
The identification of the victims' remains will require DNA testing, the head of a well-known Russian medical center in Moscow, Zurab Kekelidze, told RIA, adding that the center's specialists will provide assistance for their colleagues in Sochi, should it be necessary.
Muscovites are laying flowers at the Alexandrov Ensemble building in the Russian capital.
A thorough investigation into the causes of the crash will be conducted, and everything will be done to provide support for the victims' families, Putin said.
Monday, December 26 has been declared a day of mourning in Russia for the victims of the Tu-154 crash, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
The Russian media outlet Life.ru has posted the last video of the plane taking off in Sochi.
US Ambassador to Russia John Tefft has expressed condolences over the tragedy, Embassy spokesperson Maria Olson posted on Twitter.
Several major Russian TV channels are changing their regularly-scheduled programming due to the tragedy: Channel One will not air entertainment shows, as well as promo reels for New Year's specials; REN TV will air hourly news bulletins and will not run any entertainment programs; NTV will cancel the airing of a New Year's film, as well as entertainment shows.
RT’s latest report on Russian plane crash
“The circumstances of today's events will be carefully investigated. And everyone who's affected by this tragedy will be given the necessary help. This terrible tragedy took the lives of people full of energy and plans. Among the dead are journalists, military men, musicians. They were flying to Syria with a kind and peaceful mission. It's impossible to come to terms with this grievous loss, it's irreparable,” Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in an official statement.
Four vessels, four helicopters, a plane, and UAVs are involved in the search operation. Additionally, six ships and vessels of the Black Sea fleet, remotely operated deep submergence vehicles, and 63 divers have been deployed. 50 more are set to arrive at the scene within the next hour, according to a defense ministry statement.
Four bodies of crash victims have been taken aboard a rescue vessel, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Snob.ru media outlet has updated its information regarding the suspected death of humanitarian activist Elizaveta Glinka, saying that her husband confirmed Glinka had boarded the Tu-154 flight.
Local authorities are preparing accommodation and psychological support groups for relatives of the crash victims, the mayor of Sochi's press service said.
RT’s latest report on Russian plane crash
The plane disappeared from radar two minutes after it took off, according to the spokesperson of the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, as cited by TASS.
Humanitarian activist Elizaveta Glinka's husband, lawyer Gleb Glinka, confirmed to Snob media outlet that his wife died in the Tu-154 crash.
All but three choir singers of the Alexandrov Ensemble were aboard the plane, lead solo singer Vadim Ananyev told TASS. He himself had to stay home and miss the flight due to the birth of his third child.
The head of the Presidential Council for Human Rights, Mikhail Fedotov, said that neither reason nor heart can accept the fact of the prominent humanitarian activist's death.
Elizaveta Glinka, head of the 'Fair Help' fund, was travelling to Latakia to deliver medical supplies to a hospital.
“The mind can't understand that she is no longer with us. The heart doesn't want to believe this... We knew she was headed to Latakia to take medical supplies to a university hospital,” Fedotov said.
“We were hoping for a miracle until the very last moment. And she was a miracle herself, a heaven-sent message of virtue,” he added.
Prominent Russian humanitarian and charity activist Elizaveta Glinka is on the list of passengers provided by the defense ministry.
It is not clear yet if she was on board, with conflicting reports emerging about her current location.
The last recording by NTV sound engineer Evgeny Tolstov was posted on Facebook and was made at Chkalovsky Airport on the outskirts of Moscow.
Among the victims of the crash were the head of the military band, Valery Khalilov, and the head of the defense ministry’s department of culture, Anton Gubankov.
The Russian Defense Ministry has released a list of people who were on board the crashed Tu-154. In includes eight crew members, eight military troops, nine journalists, 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, two civilian officials, and an employee from an international humanitarian organization.
The press service of Russian TV channel Zvezda said that their employees were on board as well: correspondent Pavel Obukhov, cameraman Aleksandr Suranov, and cameraman's assistant Valery Rzhevsky.
RT’s latest report on Russian plane crash
The debris flew apart along the coast, across a 1.5 kilometer area, and is at depths of 50 to 100 meters, a source told RIA Novosti.
A source told Interfax news agency that rescue workers have discovered several bodies at the scene.
“Emergency workers are finding bodies, there are a few of them,” the source said.
Documents belonging to the Channel One journalists have been found at the scene, TASS news agency reports, citing a security service source.
Journalists from another Russian TV channel, NTV, were among those on board: correspondent Mikhail Luzhetsky, cameraman Oleg Pestov, and sound engineer Evgeny Tolstov, according to media reports.
The first victim's body has been discovered six kilometers from the shore, Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov stated, as cited by RIA Novosti.
NTV television channel reported that the third crew on board the crashed Tu-154 was their own.
A rescue boat has found the body of a person who apparently died in the Tu-154 crash, the defense ministry reported. It was picked up about six kilometers off the coast.
The Russia Defense Ministry has updated the number of passengers: there were 84 on board, not 83, which brings the total to 92.
One of the solo singers from the Alexandrov Ensemble, Vadim Ananyev, had to stay home. The Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda spoke with him.
“My colleagues and friends flew there – the choir, about 50 people, a group of bayan and balalaika players. They should have given one concert and come back. I don't [know] what to say yet, just hope for the best. I didn't go due to family matters: my son has just been born, he is the third child in the family, and I stayed home to help my wife,” Ananyev told the newspaper.
The Russian president's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said that Vladimir Putin is in constant contact with the emergency and defense ministries.
Rossiya 24 news channel said there were 92, rather than 91, people on board, including 84 passengers and eight crew members. The report cited updated information from the defense ministry.
Zvezda TV channel said three of its staff were on board the crashed Tu-154 transport plane. Channel One said it also had three people on the plane. Early reports mentioned nine journalists on board the plane, and it was not immediately clear which outlet had sent the third team.
The Committee is now confiscating documents related to the flight, and is questioning those responsible for flight preparations, TASS reported.
The Investigative Committee has launched a criminal case into the Tu-154 crash, according to article 351, “Failure to comply with the rules of flight security and preparation,” TASS reports, citing Investigative Committee representative Svetlana Petrenko.
No survivors have been found so far, emergency services said.
“Unfortunately, during over an hour of search and rescue efforts, no emergency life rafts have been found,” Interfax cited a source as saying.
The passengers' personal belongings supposedly have been found off the Sochi coast, the local emergency source told TASS.
Three journalists working for the Russian Channel One were on board of the plane, TASS reported citing the channel's press service.
"Dmitry Runkov, correspondent, Vadim Denisov, cameraman, and sound engineer Aleksandr Soydov were on board of the plane," PR director Larisa Krymova has said, also confirming that the journalists were flying to Syria.
Debris from the plane has been found at a depth of 50-70 meters, 1.5 kilometers from the shore, the information department of the Russian Defense Ministry stated.
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The crash happened while the plane was ascending, and the crew didn't signal anything was wrong, a source told Interfax.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed about the situation, and is following the search and rescue, TASS news agency reports.
Another source told TASS that the plane's chassis was discovered 1.5 kilometers from the shore.
The plane apparently fell into the Black Sea, TASS reports, citing a source from the local security forces.
“While examining the water zone located in 6-8 kilometers from the seashore, an oil spot was found, and we suppose it could be caused by the plane crash there. Rescue vessels have been sent there,” a source from the local security forces also told Interfax news agency.
According to preliminary information, the aircraft was maneuvering over the Black Sea, and fell down, Rossiya-24 channel has reported citing own sources.
“Alexandrov Ensemble singers made up the majority of the missing passengers of the Tu-154,” a defense source told RIA, adding that 90 members of the choir were supposed to be flown to Syria on two Russian military planes.
Technical failure or human error could be the main cause behind the accident, RIA Novosti reports, citing a military source. “Among the two major versions of the crash of the Tu-154 are technical failure of the aircraft and an error in piloting,” a source said.
Seven ships and a chopper are searching for the lost aircraft in the Black Sea, a source told RIA Novosti.
Aboard the missing Tu-154 aircraft were journalists from Channel 1 and Zvezda, a source in the defense ministry told RIA Novosti.
Members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, an official army choir of the Russian Armed Forces, and nine journalists were on board the missing plane, the defense ministry says.
They were going to Russia’s Khmeimin Airbase in Syria for New Year celebrations, the ministry added.
Russian air traffic controllers have lost contact with a Tu-154 airliner, which disappeared from radar shortly after take-off in Sochi with 91 people on board.